Help!!! Router quits on me....

[ghostgo]

OK, here goes a stupid story......and it needs help desperately...i'm pulling my hair already.

I bought a RCA DGW504 router from tigerdirect and connected it to my DSL modem......the connection works when i go online to yahoo, tigerdirect, etc, but i cannot enter any of my email sites (yahoo, MSN) and ebay user page. IE just sat there and load and load and load.....I do not know how to set the router so it would allow me to access all pages (it was not web servers' fault since i opened all the pages i described when my pc is directly connected to my modem).

I thought it was a DHCP conflict (i know very little about IP,DNS,etc) so i typed the ip of the router (192.168.1.1) into IE and entered the router setup page and disabled DHCP. NOW, i cannot even gain access to the router itself because my pc cannot find it. The router is lost to me.....

Please help me with this, either by establishing connection to the router manually or reset the router (no reset button). Thanx
I guess i'll have to worry about the email part later.....

[Gizmo]

Switch DHCP back on. Without this, the router cannot automatically assign a unique IP address to your machine. If there's no "Reset" button on the router, try power cycling it (switching it off, leaving it for about 10 - 15 seconds and then switching it back on).

[ghostgo]

I tried the power thing, and it doesn't reset......i'm running out of ideas

[dsl boy]

go to your network connections in xp, network in 98/me or dialup networking in 2000.
find the tcp/ip for your nic in 98/me or the internet protocol tcp/ip in xp/2k and click properties.
switch to use the following ip address and set the ip as 192.168.1.150, subnet mask 255.255.255.0, gateway 192.168.1.1. also set your isp's dns (you can get it from them and leave them blank for now) that will give you an ip address allowing you to communicate with your router

[ghostgo]

I read about it on the manual....similiar IPs for setting up connection manually......but I think i'm missing something and it still won't let me get to it.......

can you provide me with more information?

[dsl boy]

click on start-run and type in command in the open field. that should bring up a command prompt looking something like

c:/documents/owner/:

type in: ipconfig

we're looking for the ip address for the network adatper you're using. 169.x.x.x is a default windows ip address, meaning since your dhcp is off we need to set an ip address statically for the adapter.

0.0.0.0 shouldn't mean anything. if using windows 98/me it might come up with 3 different adapters, some of which will show it.

if it comes up 192.168.1.x that means that you have an ip adress that should allow you to access your router, and we have a different issue altogether.

if it is the 169.x.x.x ip, go to the network adapter and set the ip address in as instructed above, making sure to have the ip address, subnet mask, and default gateway set as above.

we're working on limited information here, it would help greatly to know what version of windows you are running,your hardware, firewalls/antivirus, service pack for windows. some of the more experienced posters won't even bother to answer if detailed information isn't given in the original post.

[Panama Red]

You might need to reset the router to manufacturer default settings. Leave it plugged in and find the small hole that allows insertion of a paper clip or pen tip. Push it in and it will perform a hard reset. That should restore the defaults.

[ghostgo]

Sorry....my pc is a Dell desktop, XP professional, service pack 2, and no active antivirus

The modem is 2Wire DSL modem that also supports wireless connection; built-in firewall for both the modem and the RCA router.

That's about all the info i know

[ghostgo]

Thank you so much......you saved my life!!!!

[Panama Red]

Originally Posted by ghostgo Thank you so much......you saved my life!!!!

What worked, the reset?

[glc]

The 2Wire modem is also a router - why are you connecting a second router to it? You need a switch, not a router, to add additional computers. This is your problem. Exchange the router for a simple multiport switch.

[ghostgo]

Nah....i somehow got into the configuration page...but it won't let me update it; it disconnects from time to time. It is pretty funny cuz the connection from the RCA router to xbox works like a dream.... but for computers....

Is that what it is...that i need a switch rather than a router...i knew that my modem is a router it does not have enough ports. Is this what that's causing my initial problem--cannot gain access to email pages (stupid problem that led me to disabling the DHCP function).

I'm pretty weak at networking, if not at everything. If my ignorance pissed someone off, that someone should give me a brief session on routers, switches, hubs, and modems to make him(her?)self feel better.

I'm going to bestbuy and pick a switch up.....if that's a wrong move, please inform me now so i can return whatever i'm gonna buy. Thanx guys
P.S. Is it worth it to return the useless router to tigerdirect? should i sell on ebay? does anyone here want it? the router itself is expensive enough....don't even ask me how much the shipping was.......

[glc]

What's Tiger's return policy? You may have better luck exchanging it with them for a switch than getting a refund.

Connect the router to the uplink port on the switch. You will do all network admin in the 2Wire configuration utility. The switch simply adds more ports to the 2Wire.